Routines = Curriculum

Introduction:

“The
ideal is for the caregiver to use feeding, napping, and toileting or
diapering routines as opportunities to build a close personal
relationship with each child while attending to the child’s individual
physical, emotional, and developmental needs... Routines are at the
heart of infant/toddler care and a major part of the curriculum” (p.
xi).

“During
feeding, diapering, washing, and dressing, the child learns many things
not necessarily related to the specific lesson of the routines such as:- Security and self-esteem- Pleasure and tactile stimulation- A sense of time and space and rhythms- Independence and competence- Cognitive and language skills”(p. xi)

Teachers:• Approach personal care routines as opportunities for warm, cooperative interactions and communication.• Understand and incorporate family preferences into personal care routines.• Encourage children’s participation in caregiving routines.• Organize in advance the equipment and supplies needed for routines so that full attention can be given to the child.

Children can climb up steps to the diaper changing area, making them active participants in the diapering process.

Children may serve themselves snack.

One cubby for each child gives a child a place to put extra clothing and special items, which are reachable by the child throughout the day.

Toilets, when down low, can give children independence while toileting.

Low sinks and soap dispensers give children an opportunity to wash their hands when needed.

A Story:

Mr.
Evan knows how important it is for toddlers to feel safe and involved
during routine parts of the day. In the toddler classroom, a big part
of the routine is diaper-changing. Clarice has a diaper that needs
changing. Mr. Evan squats next to her and says, “Your diaper needs
changing. When you are finished with the puzzle, let’s go change your
diaper.” Clarice places the last piece of the puzzle into the hole.
Mr. Evan puts out his hand to Clarice. Clarice takes Mr. Evan’s hand.
They walk together, hand in hand, to the bathroom area. Mr. Evan pulls
out a set of stairs from a cabinet that lead to the diaper-changing
spot. Clarice holds the side and steps up the stairs, laying herself
down onto the changing table when she gets to the top. Mr. Even keeps a
hand on her back the whole time to insure safety. When at the top, Mr.
Evan says, “Clarice, will you please hold your diaper for me?” Clarice
reaches her hands out and holds the diaper. Mr. Evan talks with
Clarice as he puts on his gloves and gets the bag ready for the diaper.
He says, “Clarice, I saw you working hard on that puzzle. It had
animals on it. What was your favorite animal?” Clarice says, “moooooo.”
Mr. Evan replies, “oh the cow?” Mr. Evan then says, “Okay, Clarice, I
am going to take off your diaper now and wipe your bottom.” Clarice
scrunches her face. Mr. Evan says, “I know, it’s cold.” Clarice says,
“cowd.” Mr. Evan asks Clarice to hand him the clean diaper. Clarice
hands it to Mr. Evan. Clarice says, “pull up, pull up.” Mr. Evan says,
“yes, now I pull up your pants, will you help me?” Mr. Evan helps her
down to the floor so she can pull up her pants with a little assistance
from Mr. Evan. Mr. Evan says, “let’s wash our hands together now.”
Clarice turns on the water at the child-sized sink. Mr. Evan turns on
the other faucet on the child-sized sink. He bends over and washes
hands with Clarice. After they sing “happy birthday” together while
washing hands, Clarice returns to the puzzle area. (Please
note that some aspects of the process were removed to keep the story
shorter. The teacher followed all health and safety procedures and
disinfected the area appropriately.)

Test Your KnowledgeThis quiz will help you see what you have learned about routines in infant/toddler care. After taking the quiz, more information about the answers will be provided. You can go to http://testmoz.com/3946 or click the link below.http://testmoz.com/39456

About This Site

This website was created by the Child Development Center (CDC) at MiraCosta College, a community college lab school. The website's design and materials were created using universal design principles. The goal is to provide a resource for college students who work in the CDC and take classes at the college in the field of child development. The Child Development Center and Universal Design Inquiry Group (UDIG) at MiraCosta College have partnered to work on this project.